Sometimes it’s not how you want your wedding to look, it’s how you want your wedding to feel. This drop dead gorgeous, design-loving bride wanted an ethereal and intimate feeling affair, and by the looks of the light-infused images from Ben Godkin Photo, I would say she got just what she was looking for. And the guests were no doubt feeling the love with all the personal touches. I personally adore the fact she hid away a pair of white converse shoes after seeing Father of the Bride when she was 8 and was able to put them to good use on this heart felt day. Just precious. There is even more precious to be had in the full gallery, so be sure to stop on by.
From the Bride… Thankfully, my husband Sam was very simple about the extent of his wedding involvement. No groomzilla here. With a simple, “all I want to do is marry you… that’s it”, I got free reign to do what I wanted. My mom and I were definitely the masterminds behind the design. With a mutual respect for each other’s wishes and a Love of all things design, the process went smoothly. When I first began the wedding planning process and tried to imagine what our wedding day would look like, I couldn’t so much see it as feel it. I knew I wanted our wedding to feel warm, ethereal, and intimate. I have always been completely inspired by nature and wanted to build a ceremony and reception that made us feel enveloped in God’s greatest work. We took inspiration from all types of places; from an intimate little restaurant we spotted in London, to a fabulous magazine spread, to my own unique ideas. As soon as Sam and I got engaged, we ran and booked our venue. I am still not entirely sure how this idea came about, but I somehow got it in my head that we should marry on a ranch. With no ties to this little town of Wimberley in the Texas hill country, we found the perfect venue at the Red Corral Ranch. It was filled with all the charm and warmth we were looking for.
Finding my wedding gown helped the design process as well. After trying on about 100 different gowns, I found the most beautifully eclectic, inspired, Vera Wang dress that just screamed, “Where have you been, I have been waiting for you!!” The rest seemed to flow from there. I wanted people to feel that our wedding was truly “us” and so we infused all sorts of traditions and customs from our heritage. We were married outside on a perfectly crisp fall afternoon beneath a tallis from Israel that my Jewish grandmother had used at her own wedding. Sam snacked on spanakopita at cocktail hour to satisfy his biased Greek taste buds that settle for nothing less than feta cheese. Our reception dinner was filled with South American flavor as a warm reminder of my Peruvian and Colombian roots.
We had so many tiny details throughout our wedding that truly brought us joy. My Peruvian grandmother had brought her deliciously vintage cake topper from her wedding day to share with us. I closed my eyes in the make-up chair while wearing a very special pair of glimmering converse with the white flowy laces that I had stowed away in a box when I was 8 after watching Father of the Bride and swearing on my life I would marry in them one day. Although I had not married in the church, I wanted to keep it close to my heart, so my bouquet held a vintage charm of a church that would pop open and expose the tiniest bride and groom. My engagement ring was a family heirloom from Sam’s yiayia. It is a custom piece that his papou had designed so many years ago for the Love of his life and now their Love had been passed on to us. Our wedding bands were engraved in Coldplay lyrics that we had walked down the aisle to; music that served as a sweet reminder of our young Love when we met as teenagers. I swear, I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried. We were surrounded in details that were incredibly heart felt and special to us in a way that only we could truly appreciate. A feeling of genuineness was so very important. I wanted all of my bridesmaids and flower girls to feel happy and comfortable in their skin so I was more than pleased to pick a color and let them choose the dress of their heart’s desire. I was so happy I did because not only were they happy, they got to show off their beautiful personalities and still coordinate perfectly for the pictures. At the end of the day, the feeling of Love, genuineness and celebration were truly felt by all. Our family and friends were thrilled with great food and great company. Every last person was dancing like their life depended on it.
In a big red barn out in the middle of Texas hill country, we danced, we Loved, we ate, and we danced some more. It was perfect. We could not have done any of this without the unwavering support from my parents (we Love you!!!). We were truly blessed with such an amazing gift that we find we are still pinching ourselves as we look back fondly at our photographs. Our wedding completely exceeded our expectations in every way and we are so very thankful for that.
Photography: Ben Godkin Photo / Flowers: Last Petal / Event Design: Beatriz Craven (The Bride) and The Girl in Pearl / Event Planning: Jessica from Something To Celebrate / Ceremony Location: Red Corral Ranch / Reception Location: Red Corral Ranch / Invitations: The Inviting Pear / Shoes: Badgely Mischka / Lighting: ILIOS Lighting Design / Cake: Michelles Patisserie / Catering and bar: Primizie / DJ: look no further / Rentals: Marquee / Officiant: Rev John Connor / Dress: Vera Wang